Method for separating stitched emblems from a base fabric



March 10', 1970 -r. E. THEODORSEN 3,499,408

METHOD FOR SEPARATING STITCHED EMBLEMS FROM A BASE FABRIC Filed April 18, 1968 INVENTOR. THEODORE E. THEODORSEN ATTORNEYS United States Patent s 499 40s METHOD FOR SEPARA'I'IDIG srrrcnnn EMBLEMS FROM A BASE FABRIC Theodore E. Theodorsen, Manhasset, N.Y., assignor to Kurt Salmon Associates, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 18, 1968, Ser. NO. 722,395 Int. Cl. D!) 95/00 US. Cl. 112262 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to the process of manufacturing emblems and more in particular to a method for separating emblems from the fabric base on which they are sewn.

In the process of manufacturing emblems or crests, for example scout badges, military and sporting insignia patches and the like, it is common practice to stitch a number of these emblems on the same piece of base fabric material. Usually this base fabric is a felt or cotton twill cloth and is commonly about 30 inches wide by 15 yards long. This base fabric is drawn taut and placed in a tape-controlled embroidery machine Where threads of various colors are stitched into the fabric according to a preset pattern or design. The emblems are stitched close together and a great many emblems, depending on the size of the emblems, are stitched on a single piece of base fabric material. The various colored threads are used consecutively to embroider the preset pattern in order to form multicolored emblems. After the design of the emblem has been completed, the cloth is removed from the embroidery machine and the back side of the cloth is sprayed with a glue-type substance to lock all thread ends in place and then is dried. The emblems are now cut out from the base cloth material, often by hand, but sometimes, depending on the shape of the emblem and the material of the cloth, by a diepress. In any event, the cutting out process is a slow, tedious operation and involves manual labor operations which add unnecessary expense to the manufacturing cost.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to facilitate the manufacture of emblems and crests by eliminating inordinately long and tedious operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method to separate complete emblems and crests from a piece of base fabric materal in a rapid and expeditious manner.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method to produce emblems and crests in a more economically feasible manner which obviates the necessity to employ tedious manual labor operations.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the emblems or crests are stitched onto a piece of base fabric material and a border stitching of a thread which has been treated with a combustible material is sewn around the outline of the emblem. The underside of the base material is then sprayed and dried to lock in thread ends and the border of impregnated thread is ignited and allowed to burn through the base fabric material to free the encircled emblem.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view showing a diagrammatic representation of a piece of base fabric material having a number of emblems sewn thereon;

3,499,408 Patented Mar. 10, 1970 FIGURE 2 is an elevational View showing the base fabric material as it is stretched in a horizontal position and the emblems being separated therefrom; and

FIGURE 3 shows a completed emblem.

Referring now tothe drawing, a group of emblems or crests 10 are stitched onto a piece of base fabric material 12 in a standard embroidery machine. The fabric base may be, for example 15 inches wide by 15 yards long. These embroidery machines (not shown) are of the type wherein various colored threads, according to the preset tape-controlled pattern are loaded consecutively into the embroidery machine to stitch an emblem of the desired pattern into the base material 12. Illustratively, red thread is first threaded in the needles of the embroidery machine and that portion of the emblem utilizing red as its color is stitched onto the base fabric cloth at each location where an emblem is to be formed. Then the next color, for example green, is threaded in the needles of the embroidery machine and is similarly serially stitched into the base fabric material. The process is repeated until the emblems 10, spaced as close together as is feasible, are

completed.

After the stitching in the various color combinations has been completed, a border stitch 14 is sewn around the perimeter of each completed emblem. The border stitching 14, usually of a lock stitch type, is spaced from each emblem, for a purpose to be explained hereinbelow, and interconnected, as by a link stitch 16, along a linear roW and by link stitch 17 along a vertical column, to form an interconnected network defining the outline of each emblem with each outline being connected serially to the next in a row and column. A lead-in thread segment 18 is provided at one end of the base material 12 for each row.

According to the principles of the present invention the border stitching 14, link stitching 16 and 17 and lead-in segments 18 utilize a thread which has been impregnated with a combustible material. Cotton thread which has been dipped into a saturated solution of potassium nitrate (KNO has been found to be effective but it is to be understood that other suitable combustible solutions may also be employed. It is, of course, to be understood that pre-treated thread can be used as well as thread which is dipped into the liquid solution of the combustible material at the embroidery machine just prior to being stitched into the base fabric material.

After all of the stitching operations have been completed, the base material is processed to clip the jumpthreads, e.g., the interconnecting threads of various colors, and the underside of the fabric is sprayed and dried to fix the thread ends to prevent undesired unraveling.

At this point, the chemically treated border stitching is ready to be ignited in order to burn through the base fabric material and allow the encircled emblems to fall free. The completed emblems and the base fabric material are held horizontally over a collecting drum 20 (see FIG- URE 2) and the lead-in segments 18 are ignited and begin to burn, in the fashion of a fuse. The impregnated stitching continues to burn and as it burns it combusts the base fabric material immediately around the impregnated stitching. The burning follows the outline of the stitching and at the first junction 22, follows a dual path around the emblem 10 until it reaches the row junction 24. The encircled emblem is now free and can be readily separated from the base fabric material. Vertical link stitches 17 are also sewn in order to insure an even rate of burn from left to right.

A gas stream, i.e., carbon dioxide, is directed from a gun 26 toward the base fabric material immediately behind the smoldering burn threads 14. The stream of gas extinguishes any residual smoldering in the cloth and aids in blowing the emblems loose so that they fall into the container 20 below the cloth. It may also be desirable to add a perfumed scent to the gas in order to remove objectionable odors which may remain due to the burning process or to any lingering odor resulting from the combustible solution used to impregnate the burn threads 14.

The gas gun 26 can be held by hand and manipulated by an operator to traverse the piece of cloth 12 as the threads 14 burn or a bank of guns can be mounted on traversing rods 28 to move along the length of the cloth to follow the burning process.

The emblems are then collected from container 20 and are placed in a tumble cage of a loose mesh screen and the cage is rotated. The emblems tumble freely in the cage and any loose burnt edges around the emblem border which remain from the burning process are rubbed off. The emblems are then removed and either a border stitching 30 is added (see FIGURE 3), or in cases where no border is required, the emblem is further trimmed by hand scissors or dies. This sewn border is commonly known in the art as a Merrow border and serves to cover up residual burn stains which may remain in the emblem outline.

It is thus seen that the process of the present invention provides a method to rapidly and economically separate large numbers of stitched emblems from the base fabric material on which they are sewn. The process is rapid, automatic and virtually eliminates the necessity for time consuming and tedious manual labor operations and thus provides an economical manufacturing process.

It is to be understood that the above described specific embodiments of the invention are intended for purposes of illustration only and that other skilled in the art may apply the principles and teachings of this invention to device other arrangements which still embody the principles of the present invention and falling within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A method for separating an emblem which has been sewn on a base fabric material wherein a border of a thread which has been treated with a combustible material is sewn around the peripheral outline of said emblem, said border then being ignited to allow the treated thread to burn through the base fabric material to free said emblem.

2. A method for separating a plurality of emblems which have been sewn on a piece of base fabric material comprising:

treating a thread with a solution of combustible material,

stitching said treated thread in a border around each said emblems, and

igniting said treated thread thereby to burn through said base fabric material to free said emblems.

3. The process as defined in claim 2 wherein said treated thread is stitched around each said emblem serially in a fusing network.

4. The process as defined in claim 2 wherein said thread is treated by impregnating said thread in a saturated solution of potassium nitrate.

5. The process as defined in claim 2 wherein as said thread is burning a stream of gas is directed immediately behind the advancing burn thereby to extinguish smoldering in the base fabric material and also to assist in separating said emblems from said base fabric material.

6. The process as defined in claim 5 wherein said gas includes a perfuming ingredient thereby to eliminate objectionable residual burn odors in said emblems.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,539,244 1/1951 Halden 112-262 RICHARD J. SCANLAN, 111., Primary Examiner 

